


found you (finally)

by johnyongclub



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, College, Cute, First Meetings, Happy Ending, Implied Sexual Content, Lee Taeyong is a Confident Gay, M/M, No Smut, Shy Suh Youngho | Johnny, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-17 12:15:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29100141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/johnyongclub/pseuds/johnyongclub
Summary: it was empty, he swears it was empty before he'd put down his bag, but when he turned around from opening the wardrobe so he could start unpacking, he found an empty packet of opened chips laying right next to his bag.
Relationships: Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 5
Kudos: 104
Collections: Johnny Fic Fest: Round Two





	found you (finally)

**Author's Note:**

> this is for prompt #JS106. it probably isn't as good as expected but i hope the prompter enjoys it anyway! thank you.

it first happened the day johnny moved into his dorm room. he had been more than happy to be out of his parents' house finally, feeling rather grown now that he's out here to fend for himself and survive in a room shared with another, seemingly equally happy boy named yuta. 

yuta was early, claiming the bed nearest to the window and when johnny had arrived, he'd had posters already up on his side of the wall. he was out too, so johnny was alone when he placed his bag on the empty bed he's going to have to sleep in until he graduates. 

it was empty, he swears it was empty before he'd put down his bag, but when he turned around from opening the wardrobe so he could start unpacking, he found an empty packet of opened chips laying right next to his bag. 

it wasn't the only time, either. 

the surprise really isn't that things started to materialize out of nowhere in his room, because it's a world known fact that soulmates exist and to know you have one comes in many different types of signs. he just hates that his soulmate happens to be clumsy _and_ careless and now he'd find the most random things in spaces he made sure to clean. 

and it's not his fault that he's a bit of a neat freak.

johnny doesn't tell his friends or boast about having a soulmate, one for the reason that they've all whined about not getting a sign that they have one and two, johnny isn't even sure if he'd actually _like_ this person who's supposedly meant for him, especially if they aren't tidy.

alas, there's only so much he could do to hide this fact from his friends. jaehyun and ten are nosy as it is and when they find the lace crop top johnny had never seen before laying on the foot of his bed the moment they step into the room, johnny knows he wouldn't hear the end of it.

"i didn't know you wore lace?" ten asks as he goes over to pick up the piece of clothing, a teasing look on his face while he holds it up to johnny.

jaehyun snickers, "any chance it's yuta's?"

johnny clenches his jaw, knowing without a doubt that it couldn't possibly be yuta's because it's been a couple of months since the semester started and yuta hasn't left his things on johnny's side of the room. it must be his damn soulmate losing their things again. 

"too small to be yuta's," ten notes, raising a brow as if he's making a realization. "have you been hooking up with someone without telling us, john suh?"

he snatches the lace top and stashes it into the bag of things he had found in the past couple of months, in case he ever meets this soulmate of his and they'd want their things back. of course, ten sees this and it peaks his interest. 

"before you say anything else," johnny interrupts, putting the bag on top of the wardrobe that he's tall enough to reach. "no, i'm not sleeping with anyone and no, that isn't yuta's."

ten scowls as he makes an attempt to reach for the bag, failing because of his height and then plopping himself down onto jaehyun's lap, the youngest of the trio laughing at the exchange. 

"okay, so explain yourself," ten says, crossing his arm over his chest. "what are those?"

johnny sighs, running a hand down his face. "you know how they say you figure out you have a soulmate through these random signs?"

jaehyun raises his eyebrows at this but ten gasps, climbing off jaehyun's lap to sit closer to johnny, who'd seated himself down on his study chair. 

"your soulmate finally came?" ten asks, looking both excited and curious. "those are their things?"

"yeah," johnny nods, twirling a pen in his hand. "it's honestly been a little annoying but i thought they'd want their things back if we ever meet."

ten and jaehyun share a look and johnny knows exactly what it means. within their small friend group, only ten and jaehyun hadn't made a single complaint about not getting a sign besides johnny, since they had been seeing each other through high school and are not each other's soulmates. johnny could only imagine how that would feel like.

"did you tell taeil and mark yet?" jaehyun questions, clearly to shift the attention to the matters at hand.

johnny scoffs. "i wasn't even planning to tell you guys but this person is obviously some kind of a clutz. they keep losing these things."

"you've never dated a boy before, have you?" ten snickers. "this would be interesting."

"what do you mean? how'd you know it's a dude?" johnny frowns.

ten winces, "i mean, not to assume their gender but whoever it is wore lace crop top for men. i know because i wanted that exact one but couldn't afford it."

ah, johnny thinks as he leans back against his chair. who wouldn't feel lucky to have ten as a friend, that all knowledgeable, self-proclaimed cat dad who came out as gay at twelve in the cafeteria of their school during lunch? 

johnny sighs. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


johnny doesn't think he'd actually _find_ his soulmate, let alone this soon. granted, he doesn't actually see him, but he's pretty sure he _found_ him.

"i can't believe i lost that crop top i bought last weekend," the voice says, just a tad bit high-pitched, but more sad than anything. 

johnny turns to look but the cafeteria is crowded today for some reason and the voice could have belonged to anyone. some of them even look up in response to him turning his head in search of someone and all the attention makes johnny queasy so he returns his focus back on his food.

"i might have spent a bit…" the voice continues and it seems to be speaking on the phone since johnny can't make out a reply from anyone. 

he remembers ten saying he'd wanted the crop top now in his soulmate's box of things but couldn't afford it. the chance of this stranger actually being his soulmate is pretty up there but when johnny turns again, he finds about at least five people talking on the phone and all of them are men. 

johnny takes a bite of his sandwich, pretending to focus on the screen of his laptop, which he should actually be doing because he has an essay due in two hours but then the voice comes again and this time it's fading, meaning whoever it is has gotten up to leave. 

he's quick to glance over but not quick enough. he spots a male walking away, back turned, and saying something about knowing he shouldn't have spent so much on a piece of clothing. johnny couldn't see his face and he should get up and go after the male but he's rooted in place. nervous.

_fuck_. he was so close. too close.

he does, however, notice the adidas kicks the guy is wearing as well as the color of his hair. he can't possibly miss that bright green should he bump into the guy next time. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


the frustration gets to him when, a week later, johnny doesn't see _anyone_ with dyed green hair throughout the entire week. about a hundred or so people wear the same adidas shoes, so that's out of the question and he'd tried to look out for a familiar voice but no one sounds like the guy. 

he's even more frustrated when he finds a whole tote bag on his bed one evening after a long day of classes. it's black in color with colorful handwritten decorations all around it. there are a lot of smiley faces and a phrase that reads _'I strive in the bubble of everyone's happiness'_ written in rainbow, as well as some other quotes and names johnny doesn't recognize. 

he wonders if one of the names would lead him to the supposed soulmate, then quickly decides that he isn't bothered enough to find out. he has assignments to finish and there's no room to worry about a careless stranger. 

unlike all the other items, however, johnny hangs the bag on the handle of his wardrobe. the words written on it glow in the dark and he ends up staring at the sentence through the entire three hours that he couldn't sleep. it isn't a quote by anyone (he'd googled it) so his soulmate must have thought of those words off the top of his head. is it something he truly believes in? johnny's never met anyone whose happiness depends on everyone else's. that's either stupid, or really kind.

it makes him all the more curious about this stranger that fate decided is meant for johnny and johnny for him. he's thankful it's friday and he has no classes in the morning because staying up thinking about this dude wouldn't be clever otherwise. in the end, at nearly two in the morning, johnny picks up his phone and looks through his group chat.

  
  


**_ten:_ **

this dude on my floor is freaking the fuck out

**_taeil:_ **

is there a fire

**_ten:_ **

no??? apparently he lost something

im pissed im tryna sleep here

**_me:_ **

you're sleeping at 2am on friday night?

who are you and what did u do to ten

**_ten:_ **

shut up im just a little 💔

**_mark:_ **

oh no what happened :(

  
  


ten doesn't respond immediately so johnny pulls himself out of the chat to message ten personally. when ten doesn't respond either, he hits the call button. it's ten and if ten is heartbroken, he's good at not showing it but this isn't the ten johnny is used to. it doesn't matter that it's 2am, johnny's up.

his best friend picks up at the fifth ring. he doesn't sound like he's been crying but he sounds sad nonetheless. johnny tries to approach this wisely, "you really wanna sleep or is there room for a tub of really good ben&jerry's?"

"it's like you don't know me," ten says, sounding disgusted because ten doesn't resort to ice cream like johnny does. it's all good and ten doesn't judge but he would rather run a mile to get over being sad than stuffing himself with sweets.

johnny hums, "okay, but what about some milk tea? we could take a walk or something."

ten is quiet for a moment, "would it be a hassle if you could get me soju from the convenience store? it'll help me sleep and you'll be around to stop me from doing something stupid."

johnny gets off the bed after agreeing and telling ten he'll be there in fifteen minutes, glancing over at yuta and finding his face illuminated by the light from his phone screen. he doesn't bother asking johnny anything so johnny grabs the bag from his wardrobe, the one his soulmate lost, because he plans to buy a ton of snacks and the bag would help, before he steps out of the door with his phone and wallet.

he has a guess it'd have something to do with jaehyun, if jaehyun's silence is anything to go by. he's in the same chat as the rest of them but he hasn't said a word. johnny sighs, fearing the worst but he tries to push it aside as he makes his way to the on-campus 7-11 that's opened twenty-four hours. 

he greets the familiar face behind the cash register with a nod of his head but besides himself and minseok (the cashier), there are only two more people in the store. johnny notes that they're probably college students too living in the dorms; hardly anyone else would be here if they aren't students.

one of them is whining about ice cream while the other isn't subtle with his sighs, seemingly annoyed that his friend had brought him out this late at night. johnny excuses himself when he finds them blocking his way towards the ice cream freezer. ten might not want any but johnny's craving.

he places the bag on top so he could browse through flavors but that's when one of the boys lets out a dramatic gasp. 

"that's my bag! why do you have my bag?"

johnny looks up, frowning, but his mind is jumbled up with thoughts of why he would have a stranger's bag, at least until he remembers that it belongs to that clumsy, careless soulmate of his. and realization dawns on him.

he looks at the guy (ten is right about it being a guy) and he finds wide eyes and a pretty face, sharp jawline, sharp nose, his hoodie pulled back and his hair dyed platinum white. and johnny wonders briefly if he had _ever_ seen another boy and had these detailed descriptions of their features ingrained in his brain. but boy, is he pretty.

he's never met a boy so pretty.

"what?" johnny says instead, of all things.

the boy points at the bag with an accusatory finger. "my bag. i freaked the fuck out when i lost it and it's with you? how?"

johnny lifts the bag up like it's his first time seeing it but as he remembers how he'd found it, the stranger's friend gasps. he looks at them and this friend, taller, a little lanky, speaks up.

"yong, you know how it goes around that it's just one of the ways someone finds their soulmate?" he asks and when _yong_ looks at him in confusion, he sighs and explains further. "person a loses something, it appears in person b's safe space or something like that. it's a thing that happens, just one of the ways to find your soulmate. he could be…"

_yong_ turns to face johnny, his cheeks red. "um, you don't happen to have my black lace crop top, do you?"

his friend smacks his own forehead, "are you serious?"

"what? it was expensive!" yong says before he ignores his friend. "i, uh, i'm sorry. the bag… can i have it back, please? it's sentimental. i'm not being weird or anything."

johnny clears his throat, feeling a little lost, but he hands the bag over. he's kinda forgotten what he's doing here but he finds his voice before he's tempted to leave. "i'm johnny."

"taeyong," taeyong holds out his hand after taking the bag in the other. he's smiling now as johnny shakes his hand and johnny kinda likes his smile. "it's nice to meet you. finally."

taeyong's friend excuses himself to pay up at the register. johnny sees that they'd gotten a couple tubs of ice cream and remembers that he's here to buy alcohol for his friend. but instead of grabbing what he needs, he turns to taeyong. "late dessert?"

taeyong laughs. johnny thinks it's a pretty laugh. "i have like, this thing where i could finish a whole tub when i'm sad or angry. i dragged doyoung all the way out here because i lost the bag. but it's here! thank god. thanks for giving it back."

speaking of taeyong's bag reminds johnny of the whole box of his things he kept on top of his wardrobe. "i still have all the things you lost. i'll give them back to you if you want?"

taeyong's eyes widen and his cheeks are a deeper pink. "so you do have it."

"have what?"

"my lace crop top," taeyong says casually and it's johnny's turn to blush. taeyong giggles and since johnny's phone is unlocked from when he was texting ten, taeyong takes it and types his phone number down. "i'm free tomorrow. if you want to give back my things."

taeyong and his friend doyoung leave the store and johnny's left dumbfounded. he would like to think he's better than this. he blames it on the fact that he never really dated guys. sure, he'd expressed interest and there isn't any label put on his sexuality but this feels so different than when he was hitting on girls. and this is his soulmate? this is the guy fate decided to tie his soul to? 

it's not that he's entirely against it now that he's _met_ him, especially not since he's drop dead gorgeous. and wasn't he wearing a hoodie and a pair of sweats? he had bed hair, for fuck's sake. he had bed hair and he looked _that_ good.

_oh god._ johnny groans inwardly. he's already simping and they _just_ met. is this because they were meant to be? johnny would like to think so. anything is better than admitting he's already attracted to the boy, soulmate or not.

  
  


* * *

  
  


johnny doesn't remember being this nervous. he's usually pretty chill when it comes to meeting a girl for a date or going up to one to ask for her number. he'd texted taeyong this morning and agreed to meet at the cafe so he could return his things. there's a bag full of taeyong's missing things sitting on the empty seat next to him and he's fifteen minutes early. 

he's a ball of nerves, leg bouncing on the ball of his foot as he looks at the time on his wristwatch. he considers pretending to have just arrived, if only it'll make him look less eager, but then he remembers a few people had already seen him come in and they'd probably notice if he did that. 

he'd told ten everything last night, after the younger told him he didn't want to talk about what's happened with jaehyun besides the fact that apparently jaehyun's already found his soulmate. it was surprising even to johnny; he'd always thought there was a glitch in the system that made them realize they were each other's a little too late.

now it's clear jaehyun is meant to find someone else.

the bell chimes, indicating a newcomer and johnny turns his head to see. he'd been doing this for the past five minutes his neck is starting to hurt. it's taeyong this time, though, and now his heart is _pounding_ against his chest.

taeyong is beaming, his platinum hair styled up and looking worlds different than when johnny had seen him last night, in his sweats and hoodie. he has lipgloss on too, johnny can't help but notice. those are really, really pretty lips. 

"hi," taeyong greets him as he sits down on the chair opposite, exhaling loudly as if he'd been in a rush. "sorry, i got caught up and completely missed the time. i'm not too late, am i?"

johnny is shaking his head before taeyong even finished. "not at all. you're early, actually."

"guess i got just as excited," he giggles. _giggles._ johnny is having heart palpitations. 

after a moment, he breaks out of this weird trance and clears his throat, picking up the bag of things that are originally taeyong's. "pretty sure i have everything in here."

"oh," taeyong murmurs, as if just remembering why they're meeting in the first place. he bends down to hand over a paper bag and when johnny looks at him, confused, taeyong explains. "your things, i assume?"

johnny's lips part because he didn't realize he had lost some of his things but when he takes a peek inside, the first thing he sees is his missing pair of spiderman boxers. heat spread at his cheeks and he wishes for the ground to swallow him whole.

taeyong is smiling. "never brought another guy back to the dorms and i'm more of a captain america guy than spiderman."

johnny thinks it'd be great if he could disappear into thin air. he's pretty sure his face is beet red because how the fuck could a guy lose their favorite pair of boxes? he doesn't even remember when because he hadn't had the time to go look for it ever since he realized he hadn't seen it a week ago.

"well, uh," johnny clears his throat. "these are yours. i made sure the crop top is folded properly."

taeyong peeks inside the bag, smiling again. "thank you. my best friend was giving me shit for spending so much on it and then losing it. oh, you know what's funny? he met his soulmate just yesterday too! i think it's fate. do you believe soulmates last for life?"

johnny blinks. "yeah? i think so. i've never heard of ones that separate."

he watches as taeyong rummages through the things in the bag, pouting when he couldn't find what he was looking for but he's smiling again when he returns to the conversation. "okay, so, like, not to scare you or anything, but in like ten years if you remember me saying i wanna be a fashion designer and i'm not doing it then could you do me a favor and make sure i am doing it?"

johnny shrugs, clutching the paper bag in his grip. "we're stuck for life, aren't we?"

taeyong beams, "i wouldn't call it that. but, if you feel that way, i'm sure i'll be able to change your mind."

"that's not what i meant," johnny splutters, guilt washing over him once he realizes he's phrased it wrong. "i'm sure i wouldn't feel stuck. or whatever. you seem nice."

"it's okay, johnny," taeyong leans back, getting comfortable. "i know we've got a lot to catch up on. you need to know me and i need to know you but i think we'll work out just fine."

johnny finds himself smiling then, intrigued. "yeah?"

a nod. taeyong's smile is getting too hard not to love. "i know you think i'm attractive. i think that's a good start."

_not false,_ johnny thinks. "i'll be honest with you, taeyong. i've never dated a guy before."

"and you'll never have to date girls again, not as long as i'm alive anyway. don't worry, it's the same. although i can't say i've dated girls before," taeyong chews on the inside of his cheek but then his smile is back. "doesn't matter. a person's a person no matter what's between their legs, no?"

johnny nods. he can't seem to look away. "you're right."

he thinks taeyong feels the same because their eyes lock for so long johnny thinks the only way to look away is if he leans in and kisses him. that'd be inappropriate, wouldn't it? they should probably go on a second date before he even tries. 

"so what do you say?" taeyong is asking, leaning forward once again. his eyes flicker down to johnny's mouth and back up in his eyes. "are you ready for this?"

johnny shrugs again. "do you plan on dating other people first?"

taeyong laughs, shaking his head. "date other people when you're right here? nah. do you, though?"

he scoffs, "not a fan of the idea that someone else gets to know you like i should."

"then it's settled."

"you free tomorrow?"

taeyong's eyes twinkle. "i will be."

"would a movie be too cliche?"

"i love movies," taeyong is beaming by now. "six o'clock too early?"

johnny laughs. "i'll pick you up at 5:45."

they share another laugh. johnny buys them coffee and taeyong tells him he's been obsessed with the cafe's sweet potato snack so johnny buys him two packs. they talk about what they're studying and taeyong tells him his best friend and roommate, doyoung, got into a big fight with 'mr dimples' only to find out they're soulmates. johnny doesn't say much except to tell taeyong that he'd gotten annoyed with collecting his things that materialized in his room and luckily, taeyong only laughed. he seemed more amused to find johnny's missing things. johnny figured why he would be; he loses the most embarrassing things.

by the end of their little lunch date, taeyong is bold enough to ask and johnny's lucky he didn't die from choking on coffee.

"do you happen to have my glass dildo? i lost it on my high school graduation day. got really, really sad about it."

from the look in taeyong's face, johnny's pretty sure he liked the sound of johnny sputtering around for an answer.

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are appreciated!


End file.
